Bottle-closure.



J. R. DUNN.

ABOTTLE GLOSURE. APPLIUATION FILED sBPT.1s, 1912.

1,083,389. Patented Jan. A6, 1914.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

JAMES R. DUNN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BOTTLE-CLOSURE.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES R. DUNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented ynew and useful Improvements in Bottle-Closures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bottles and particularly to mea-ns adapted to be used in bottles of ordinary form to make them nonrellable unless noticeably damaged.

It is an important' object to provide' a self-contained device adapted to be engaged in a bottle neck by the usual corking apparatus in conjunction with the driving` of a cork thereinto, and which will include both the means to prevent ingress of fluid and protective means to prevent the introduction of instruments to interfere with the operation of thedevice.

The device is in the nature of a valve and utilizes the principle ofthe pendant, weightcontrolled spherical valve, but in addition provides a guard construction so arranged as to cooperate with the valve for the improvement of its operation.

Itis also a purpose to enable the manufacture of the device compactly, cheaply and by very simple operations well adapted to be carried out by machinery.

It is one aim to give a maximum capacity for the flow of liquid and air through recurved passages in a device to be fitted in a bottle neck, and also to so shape these passages that they may be readily stamped or molded.

It is also a further purpose to provide eflicient means for guarding the contents of a bottle equipped therewith against contact with substances used in the securement of the device in place.

Additional objects and advantages will be apparent, some of them evident from the following specification and from the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a bottle equipped with my invention, Fig. 2 is a similar vview showing the device inverted, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one section of the device detached, Fig. 4f is a cross section on the line $41 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modication of the device.

There is illust-rated a bottle 10 of a familiar form, the neck 11 of which is provided with a shoulder 12 near its base on t-he Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 13, 1912.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914:. Serial No. 720,230.

inside, forming a seat for the support of my device. However, my invention is applicable to use with the ordinary bottle in which the neck is usually slightly swelled outward at its intermediate part, as will become apparent.

T'he'device in the neck comprises a casing 13 in two sections, joined on a diametrical plane. The casing is circular in cross section and at the lower end is provided with,

is preferably made of a readily malleable Y metal so that the attenuated lower portion may yield slightly to the side ofthe bottle neck as it is forced thereinto and the snug lit be assured witho-ut liability of breaking the bottle.

The metal that has been used in practice and found to operate most satisfactorily is ordinarily lead, but any other material having similar properties of softness may of course be used.

A concentric port 16 is formed in the inner end of the casing, opening into a valve chamber 17, a spherical seat 18 being formed on the inner side of the port adapted to properly accommodate the valve 19 engaged in the chamber and having the attenuated stem 2O projected outwardly through the port and adapted to play laterally therein, being of a length to lie within the plane of the base when the valve is seated. The outer end of the stem is weighted as at 21. The sides of the port 16 are preferably in the form of a frustum of a cone apically concentric with the seat 18. The casing is provided with a peripheral recess or channel 22 the breadth of which extends over more than half the length of the casing, being in the neighborhood of one inch broad, in practice in which there is secured aiilling of cork or other suitable cushion and friction material extending a proper distance from the outer periphery of the casing to hold securely upon the bottle. The casing is provided with a passage 23 leading in from the outer end of the device, to a cup-like portion 24E surrounding the passage, the passage stopping short of the inner or bottom part of the cup, on each side blind passages 25 lead from the valve chamber 17, being suitably proportioned and extended beyond the edges of the cup to form communication therearound from the portto the passage 23, the sides of the cup being spaced centrally therein. The lower side of the cup is so formed and disposed as to cooperate with the valve to check it at the outer limit of its movement, and to engage the valve in such a way when the bottle is inclined as to fo-rm a fulcrum against which one side of the valve will bear while the other, under the effect of gravity on the weight 21 and also on the valve under a certain amount of inclination will be forced toward the seat 18 as shown in Fig. 2 when there is no liquid in the bottle. The dotted line a-a in that figure is drawn from the point of contact of the valve with the cup approximately through the center of gravity of the valve and weight and stem and by placing the figure in such position that this line is vertical, it will be understood how much the bottle must be tipped before the valve becomes unseated. In such position it is not practicable to introduce a liquid. It will` be seen, however, that the presence of even a very small amount of liquid in the bottle will be suflicient to unseat the valve when the bottle is sufficiently inclined.

The casing sections are adapted to be formed by molding or by stamping, in manufacture, and, as shown in Fig. 4, each may be struck in one operation by the use of onepiece dies, the passages being formed in somewhat lattened form and in parallel relationso that the male die may be readily withdrawn.

Itwill be observed that the outer bottom surface of, the cup portion is flattened to correspond to the top of the valve, and so spaced from the seat 18 that there will be provided a proper clearance for the passage of Huid from the bottle, and the ingress or air. As indicated by the arrows, the fluid may flow outwardly at the lower side while air gains access at the upperside. In the upper side of the casing a bowl-like recess 26 is formed which will be useful in the emplacement of a cork when the device is applied to a bottle.

In use, a bottle being constructed as shown is filled in the ordinary way, without my invention in place, and is then positioned beneath the stopper driving machine. One of my casings is then presented in. the mouth of the bottle and the stopper driver operated. The bowl-like portion 26 will guide the cork into a central position on the casing, and will be fitted tightly into the bowllike recess closing the outer end of thepassage 23 by pressing thereagainst, and thus keeping all liquid inwardly of the casing. The stopper driving machine forces the cas ing into place at the same time that the stopper is engaged tightly in the mouth of the bottle. Before being driven, a suitable cement may be applied to the cork 22 vso that the device will be securely held against withdrawal. lf the device be used in a bot tle without the shoulder 1l, it should be slightly restricted toward the lower end of the neck and the apron 15 will then be compressed and tightly fitted therein.

The cork packing 22 will serve to hold the sections in proper operative relation, and to maintain them in proper registry at all times suitable interlocking lugs and recesses may be formed on the abutting surfaces of the sections.

The walls of the passage 23 may be of such thickness as necessary to guard against the insertion of an implement for the unseating of the valve, and the bottom of the cup may also be made of such thickness as not to be easily punctured, but the sides of the cup may be paper-thin, and a maximum space left in the passages. The valve and weight thereon may be formed of the same metal as the casing if desired ,or if preferable may be formed of glass.

In Fig. 5, there is shown a modification of the device, in which a Cupshaped screen 27 is engaged in the chamber above the valve, serving as an additional precaution against the access of an instrument or other objects for the purpose of unseating the valve. This cup screen 27 is inserted at the same time as the valve, into one half of the device and the other half then engaged thereover.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the class described comprising a casing adapted to be engaged in the neck of a bottle and having a valve cham ber therein, a port opening from the valve chamber at the inner end of the casing, a semi-spherical seat at the inner end of the port, a semi-spherical valve seated thereon, having a reduced stem projecting through the portand provided with a weight at its outer end, the stem being adapted for loose lateral movement across the port, blind passages formed in the casing, opening on and extending from the valve chamber longitudinally outward in the casing, a cup mem ber U-shaped in longitudinal section formed integrally with the casing and joined there* to at opposite sides, the sides of the cup extending outwardly into the blind passages, stopping short of the outer ends of the passages and being spaced centrally thereof, the bottom of the cup member forming the outer side of the valve chamber and being disposed to check the valve at the outer limit of its movement, the base of the cup having lateral fulcrum portions arranged and adapted to engage the outer side of the valve at the outer limits of its lateral sliding movement also, whereby the valve will be held to its seat in the manner described, a passage being formed through the outer end of the casing and opening into the cup adjacent its inner end.

2. In a bottle closure, a casing of yielding metal having passages therethrough and a gravity seated valve inclosed therein to close communication therethrough except when inverted, an annular peripheral apron formed on the lower end of the casing tapered to a thin edge, and a bottle neck tapering inwardly, whereby the metal of the casing apron when forced into the neck will be compressed and conformed to the shape of the neck to form a liquid-tight seal.

3. A bottle closure comprising in combination, a neck having an inner inwardly tapered portion, a casing of yielding metal in the neck having passages therethrough, a check Valve in the casing to close the neck against ingress of liquids, said casing having a circumferential recess therein approximating in length the usual cork stopper for necks of similar size to that above named, cork-like material in said recess, projecting therefrom to engage the sides of the bottle neck against extraction of the closure, an annular apron formed integrally on the lower end of the casing tapered to a thin edge, and engaged snugly against the convergent surfaces of the neck.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES R. DUNN. Witnesses:

HARRY CRANsToN, JOHN J. SCHAFER.

. Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

